Chapter 3 Scarred

While the weeks passed, the wound on Iris's back slowly healed, but the scar it left behind remained a permanent reminder of the day Mira lost control. Leah did her best to tend to her daughter's injury, guilt weighing heavily on her chest. She'd seen Mira's temper many times, but she hadn't expected that outburst to go so far. Still, Leah said nothing. There was no use stirring waters she had no power to calm.

Life moved on.

Months rolled into years, and both girls grew physically, emotionally, and in completely different directions.

Iris Dean had always been bright, and her academic excellence opened doors for her. She gained admission into Nexalith State University, a public university known for its strong programs and disciplined environment. It wasn't luxurious, but it was where dreams like hers took shape.

She was proud.

On the morning she received her admission letter, she danced with her mother in the small parlour of their rented flat. They didn't have much, but that day, the joy in their home was priceless.

"I told you," Leah whispered with tearful eyes, "you are going to make something great out of your life."

"I will, Mum. I promise."

And Iris meant every word. With her father long gone and her mother breaking her back to provide, she had no option but to succeed.

Meanwhile, Mira Hills who had never known lack was preparing for her own admission into one of the most elite private universities in Nexalith: Regal Heights University. The institution was a hub for children of the rich and powerful. Her mother, Evelyn Hills, had paid the full year's tuition in advance, pulled strings, and made the calls. Influence flowed through her veins now.

After all, just months before, Mr. Hills had died in a tragic plane crash.

It was all over the news. "Business Mogul and Founder of Hills Empire Dies in Aviation Tragedy."

The day the news broke, Evelyn didn't cry not in public, at least. She stepped out of their home dressed in black, her posture regal, her face emotionless. She had a company to run, investors to assure, and a daughter to protect.

From that moment on, Evelyn Hills was the force behind the Hills Empire.

No one questioned her authority.

But behind closed doors, the once cheerful mansion grew quieter. Colder. Mira missed her father, even if she never said it aloud. His absence created a void that even Evelyn's endless control couldn't fill.

Mira was enrolled at Regal Heights the following semester, and her life became a carousel of luxury, curated friendships, and masked loneliness.

She never saw Iris again.

And Iris never expected to see her either.

Their lives had split, like two roads veering in opposite directions one paved with wealth, privilege, and hollow perfection; the other with determination, sacrifice, and grit.

Iris settled into university life with quiet strength. She studied hard, rarely missed lectures, and took up part time tutoring to help support her mother.

On weekends, she'd call Leah and tell her about her week the lectures, the stress, the small victories. Leah would listen, her heart swelling with pride.

"Sometimes," Iris once said over the phone, "I wonder how Mira's doing."

Leah was silent for a moment, then said, "She's living her life, just like you're living yours. Stay focused, Iris. Mira's world isn't yours."

And Iris understood.

She had outgrown the games, the comparisons, the pain of trying to understand why they looked so alike yet lived so differently.

Now, she was building something of her own.

And the past? It was just that.

Past.

Far from the narrow streets of Iris's neighborhood, nestled in the heart of Nexalith's capital, sat one of the grandest palaces in the country The Royal Stone Estate. It was less of a home and more of a world within a world high stone walls laced with security, glass towers that kissed the sky, and a legacy that spanned centuries. The Stone Family wasn't just royalty they were power. Old money. New money. Royal blood. They were everything.

And at the center of it all was Prince Lucian Stone the only child and heir to the Royal Stone Dynasty.

Born with a silver spoon and raised with gold expectations, Lucian's life had never been simple. From the moment he took his first breath, he was being prepared to lead not just the royal household, but the business empire that his ancestors had built and expanded across continents.

He was very young, but already a board member of three multinational corporations, the face of the Royal Nexalith Tech Summit, and a frequent guest at global investment forums. While other boys his age were just stepping into adulthood, Lucian had already tasted the bitter wine of responsibility.

His father, King Aldric Stone, was a strict but visionary monarch. He had no time for frivolities, no tolerance for weakness. He believed in building empires and legacies, not stories of love and leisure.

Lucian had been groomed under that heavy hand homeschooled by the finest scholars, mentored by billionaires, trained in diplomacy, business, finance, politics, and strategic warfare of the boardroom. He could dissect a company's valuation in minutes and negotiate multimillion dollar deals without flinching.

But beneath the polished suit and the piercing stare, Lucian was still a boy who never got to be one.

He had no siblings, no best friend to confide in only bodyguards, assistants, and a schedule so packed it left no room for mistakes.

Yet, he carried it all well.

The public adored him. "Nexalith's Golden Prince," they called him. The tabloids worshipped him. He was the face of wealth and ambition, dressed in designer suits, speaking five languages, gracing magazine covers like he was born to shine.

But behind closed doors, Lucian lived in a glass prison.

His mother, Queen Seraphina, though graceful and warm in public, was often absent. Her heart had grown weary from the coldness of the crown. She spent more time at international charity events than she did at home.

The palace was grand, yes but also lonely.

Lucian would often stand at his massive balcony at night, looking out at the twinkling lights of the city below, wondering what it was like to live a simple life to laugh freely, to walk the streets unnoticed, to love without consequence.

But he knew better.

That wasn't his fate.

Not when Stone Industries was his to inherit. Not when there were deals to sign, enemies to outsmart, and expectations to meet. His father reminded him constantly.

"This empire will not wait for your emotions, Lucian. Be a man the world cannot break."

And so he was.

A prince in public. A strategist in meetings. A machine at the desk.

But beneath the titles and wealth, a part of Lucian Stone longed for something different... something real.